Role of grain boundary networks in vortex motion in superconducting films

We study the vortex dynamics of the polycrystalline superconductors in the presence of both random point defects and the generated grain boundary(GB) networks with Voronoi diagram. The synergistic effect of adjacent GBs on restricting the vortex motion in intragranular region is proposed and the corresponding intensity factor of the synergistic effect which characterizes the strength of the synergistic restriction of adjacent grain boundaries is also determined in the present work.The interconnected GBs offer easy-flow channels for vortices in addition to pinning effects on the vortices. The combined channels and the vortex flow patterns in the superconducting film are analyzed in detail from molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, it is discovered that the critical current increases with the decrease of magnetic field intensity,temperature, and the average grain size. The large number of vortices results in the enhanced repulsive interaction forcing the vortices to move out from the GBs. The thermal depinning from GBs leads to the lower Lorentz force range. The increase of the grain size causes the number of GBs to decrease. In summary, these effects leads the critical current to become a decreasing function of magnetic field, temperature, and grain size.

Analysis of insidious fault activation and water inrush from the mining floor

Based on the stress field distribution rule of the mining floor under abutment pressure, we have established a simplified mechanical model, which contains multiple factors relating to activation and evolution of insidious water-conductive faults. The influence of normal and shear stresses on fault activation and effective shear stress distribution in the fault plane was acquired under mining conditions.Using fracture mechanics theory to calculate the stress intensity factor of an insidious fault front, we have derived the criterion for main fault activation. Results indicate that during the whole working face advance, transpressions are exerted on fault planes twice successively in opposite directions. In most cases, the second transpression is more likely to lead to fault activation. Activation is influenced by many factors, predominant among which are: burial depth of the insidious fault, friction angle of the fault plane, face advance direction and pore water pressure. Steep fault planes are more easily activated to induce a sustained water inrush in the face.